Defining a great horse

[Dunbar]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

I'd be interested to know the most important common factors that people prefer when defining a great horse.

Rate the following factors as either... very important, important, not that important, or doesn't matter at all. And pick the 3-to-5 which you think are most important.

Ability as a 2yo
Ability as a 3yo
Ability as an older horse

Ability as a sprinter
Ability as a miler
Ability as a router

Ability as a dirt horse
Ability as a synthetic horse
Ability as a turf horse

Ability to win major races **
Ability to beat good horses ***
Ability to run fast figures **
Ability to win with dominance *

Ability to stay sound and race often without big time gaps between starts ***
Ability to carry high weight or give weight away to good horses *
Ability to have success as a stallion or broodmare
Ability to be consistant and not go in and out of top form ***

Ability to handle different surfaces *
Ability to handle a wide range of distances ***
Ability to handle tough trips, bad rides, and unfavorable circumstances ***
Ability to ship and consistantly run near top form away from home circuit **
Ability to have participated in a lot of major races **

Ability of the trainer. (for instance ... would you downgrade a horse like Saint Liam because he was 2-for-8 with all failed stakes attempts before getting transferred from a solid trainer to a miracle worker? Or to a more extreme, Would you upgrade the early form of horses like Rachel Alexandra and Rock Hard Ten because they were trained by guys with dismal stats?)

Ability of the jockey.

Competence of the management. (would you upgrade a horse because he was placed in illogical spots? Or to a greater extreme, would you downgrade a horse because he was placed in clever and calculated spots?)

Visual likability. (would you upgrade or downgrade a horse based on flashiness? Flashy type of horses being like an Easy Goer or Arazi. Unflashy types being like a Skip Away .. who was often best when moved prematurely and would grind out steady wins with odd action)

I put "*"'s by my choices. Toughness and consistency are often undervalued, IMO. I consider Cigar great. On Ghostzapper's best day, he would almost certainly have beaten Cigar by open lengths. But which horse would have won a best-of-11 series over the course of a year? I'd probably bet on Cigar.

--Dunbar